


A slice of American Pi

by Darth_Rainbow_Queen_Of_Coconuts



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, I need more American Pi content, M/M, S.H.I.E.L.D somehow still is a thing?, So I'm Making Some, This is a Bruce Banner centered fic, This is freeform, This is going to be a slowburn, This is just a friendship piece tbh, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2020-03-30 02:32:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19032955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darth_Rainbow_Queen_Of_Coconuts/pseuds/Darth_Rainbow_Queen_Of_Coconuts
Summary: Just a slowburn American Pi fanfic.





	1. Good morning, Steve

_"Good morning, Steve_." A masculine, soft spoken voice said, making the soldier smile a little as he entered the common quarters of the compound. Bruce was currently sipping on a cup of vietnamese lotus tea, while reading a scientific journal on his Starkpad. Bruce preferred paper but had converted upon realizing it would save paper. Steve had noticed because they used to trade pages of the news until Bruce simply stopped buying the paper version. The scientist waited for Steve to pour himself a cup of coffee and actually take a sip before speaking again. The scientist had grown capable of reading people's attitude and adapting to them. It was a must for someone who needed to be able to disappear at all time. Smiling softly, the scientist put his own cup down. "I picked up a newspaper this morning for you, didn't touch the crossword, I promise."

The supersoldier chuckled. "It's okay, to be honest, I've grown used to watching the news on tv now."

Bruce frowned, readjusting his glasses. "Really? You seemed to like paper."

Steve shrugged. "I did. Still do. But it's important to save the environment." A faint blush took over his cheeks as a tentative smile curled up his lips.

A smile blossomed on the scientist's lips. "I certainly agree with that. Besides, StarkPads aren't that bad when you get the hang of them."

Steve furrowed his brows. "I, well, I actually don't get how they..." He paused, pouting. "Operate, I guess."

Bruce chuckled. "I could show you." He looked down at the pad, displaying a message from Tony. "Later though, I am expected in the lab." He emptied his cup of tea and removed the towel from his lap. "There's some omelet and bacon in the microwave, by the way. I was expecting Clint for breakfast but he texted me this morning. Turns out that he headed back home after his mission." A fond smile took over the two men's features.

"See you later, doc." The soldier added as Bruce walked out.

 

~*~

 

"Whaddup, doc?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow as Bruce entered their currently shared lab.

Bruce furrowed his brows. "Didn't you ask me here?" He looked down at the pad he'd been holding.

"No...?" The engineer paused. "Fri, did you detect anything suspect?" He asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"Someone has indeed sent a message to Dr Banner sir, but it appears to be coming from our own internal server..." Tony and Bruce exchanged a look. "ALERT. ALERT. THIS IS NOT A WARNING NOR A DRILL. THE BUILDING IS GOING ON LOCKDOWN. REMAIN IN YOUR CURRENT LOCATION AND CALMLY WAIT.' The A.I loudly declared. Knowing it was an intruder's order; the engineer rushed toward one of his suit while Dr Banner tried to remain calm.

"Bruce..." Tony spoke softly, as the suit unfolded around him. "Listen to my voice buddy, you have to remain calm, you can do it Bruce." It was working, the green seemed to fade away. "It's going to be okay, there is no—" Tony's voice was muffled by gunshots against the ballistic glass. That was the last straw for the scientist. Bruce was constantly battling against himself, making him too exhausted to fight against other enemies, especially when there was someone, right underneath the surface, eager to do it for him. So he let the Hulk take over, growling as he grew oversized. When the glass finally shattered, it was because the Hulk had smashed his fist through it, ready to take down any enemy of his.

 

"We go out for five minutes..." Wanda grumbled, raising from the ground to enter the compound using a window, Vision right by her side. 'Captain, Mr Stark, can you hear me?' The android asked, hoping to get an answer from either as Wanda and him tried to find a way in.

'I have eyes on the Hulk.' Tony spoke in his com, watching the green rage monster smash the people who'd shot at them. 'He's angry.'

Steve rolled his eyes upon hearing the comment. 'That's the secret.' He spoke, silently walking around the corridors. He'd managed to get into his suit before the lockdown and was now left to seek for potential enemies. 'I can't see any intruders where I am.'

'Do you think you could get us a way in?' Wanda asked, speaking loudly next to Vision, hoping the others would hear.

'I just might be able to." Tony said. "But I need to get past the Hulk and I don't know how this is going to work out.'

'I can drive the Hulk away, I'm making my way downstairs.' Steve spoke.

'Alright Capsicle, then hurry up because the Hulk is seriously running out of things to smash.' As if on cue, the door leading to the stairway was pushed open with a kick. 'Unnecessary.' Tony commented as Steve rushed inside.

 

"Hey there!" He called the Hulk, who growled at the supersoldier. "Come on buddy, let's play tag!" The blond added before throwing his shield at the Hulk who seemed not to appreciate and rushed after the blond. Tony took it as his cue and rushed to his own actual lab, where he kept most of his suits prototypes along with the old models. While Captain America had led the Hulk downstairs, Iron-Man was going up, with far more speed thanks to flight.

'You're alright, Cap?' The billionaire asked, hearing a grunt following a loud thud.

'Peachy.' Steve grumbled back.

Tony pushed the door of the lab open, rushing in and removing his mask. Feeling as if punched in the guts, the engineer's eyes widened as he realized that the Mark V, XXV and LI were gone. His eyes scanned around for any sort of clue before he forced himself to focus back on the task at hand. Tony swallowed thickly as he worked on deactivating the lockdown mode. It took him a few, agonizingly long minutes compared to usual, hands trembling lightly as he envisioned plausible scenarios now that his suits were gone. This wouldn't go well. He could tell. 'Done.' He finally spoke, voice low and defeated. 'We have a bigger problem. Three of my suits are gone.'

'That would explain why there was nobody else in the building to be found.' Vision extrapolated. 'They took the suits, exited and created a loud, visible diversion to occupy us...'

Wanda frowned. "But we didn't see anything out there..."

'Not to interrupt,' a grunt forced to the soldier to pause. 'but I could use a hand.' He declared right before Hulk's fist collided with his face.

'I'm on my way, Captain.' Vision spoke, locating the soldier and Hulk using his thermovision. He flew toward the floor level while Wanda headed to Tony's lab.

 

"Hulk..." The android's voice rang loud and clear, soothing. The green anger-fueled monster's eyes fell on him. "I am not your enemy." He lifted his hands up in surrender. "Neither is he." Vision added, gesturing at Steve who seemed unconscious. "We fought alongside on several occasions. We are, allies."

Hulk shook his head. "BANNER FRIENDS!" He yelled.

Vision knew better than to deny it. "But Hulk's allies too." He repeated, growing closer but keeping his hands visible.

The Hulk seemed to pause, breathing heavily as he seemed to consider the information. His eyes fell on Steve, brows furrowing. "Pretty one..." He grumbled, seemingly growing out of breath. Slowly, the green started to fade away. Bone cracked, being rearranged, as Bruce Banner seemed to return.

Vision picked him up before he'd fall. 'The Hulk has been handled.' The android declared. Carefully laying down the scientist and covering him with his cape, Vision went to check on Steve's pulse. "Captain, can you hear me?" No reply. The android cautiously picked up the super soldier. 'I'm currently heading to med bay with an unconscious Captain.'

 

~*~

 

Wanda had been standing at the entrance of Tony's lab, incredibly self-aware as she seemed to intrude on something. Tony was eagerly typing away, attempting to locate the missing armors, a crazed look in his eyes. Frustration was so tightly meshed with tenseness in the man's demeanor that she was afraid to say a word. "I know you're here, you can come in, kid."

The female nodded at the words. "Are you okay?" She asked, softly. 

Tony chuckled, eyes falling on her. "Last time someone used the weapons I built, millions of people died."

Wanda swallowed, thinking about her own past. "That's the past Tony. You've redeemed yourself."

The engineer sneered. "I'm not seeking for redemption. I'm just trying to do some damage control." His fists clenched as his search ended up fruitless, displaying no satisfying results on unnecessarily large screens. "I need a drink." He declared, stopping himself from pointlessly hitting anything.

Wanda bit her bottom lip. "I think you need to rest a bit. You live on coffee and adrenaline, Tony. Just, take a breathe."

The engineer's gaze fell on her, too tired to be truly mean but still visible displeased. "Why do you care? Didn't you want me dead, anyway? Isn't that what motivated you? Revenge?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in a taunting manner.

The female refused to take the bait. "I've grown to care." She simply answered. "But if you want to destroy yourself before we fix this mess, be my guest. However, don't you dare asking me to give you a hand." She spun on her heels, heading out of the room.

 

~*~

 

Bruce woke up, alone and cold. But the damage around him didn't seem too bad. He looked down at the cape covering him and wondered if Thor was back. Since when? How did he not notice? Sitting up, he rubbed his temples with the palm of his hands. "Friday, what have I done?" He asked the A.I.

"Nothing too bad Dr Banner. The Hulk took down the enemies shooting at him and Mr Stark before having a fight with Mr Rogers."

Bruce frowned. "Is Steve okay?" He asked, worry clear in his voice.

"Mr Rogers is currently in med bay, his vitals are good and he is stable. Surely he'll be fine in a few hours."

Bruce nodded. "What about the shooters, are they..." He swallowed.

"Six of them died, the 8 others vary from severely injured to simply unconscious. Shield came to retrieve them. They will be interviewed in their facility, I believe."

Bruce nodded, taking in the information. "Thank you Friday." He mumbled, before forcing himself on his feet. He took the time to wrap the cape tighter around himself and headed to one of the elevator to get to his own quarters. In the elevator he found Rhodey who was headed upstairs as well. Bruce smiled awkwardly. "Back from mission already?" He asked.

The colonel nodded. "Tony needs me."

Bruce's smile turned more genuine at the words. The elevator pinged at his level. "See you later." The scientist told the other man before exiting, getting a small nod in reply. Bruce would've went and check on Tony himself, had he not been naked and feeling sore all over his body.

 

~*~

 

Steve woke up a few hours later, grunting as he tried to sit up. A feminine hand forced him to lay back. "Stay down Captain."

He smiled. "You're back?"

Natasha shrugged, smiling just a little. "It appears the world needed the Avengers, I wouldn't want to disappoint."

He grinned. "What about the Hulk?" He asked, before wetting his lips.

Natasha offered him a glass of water with a straw. "Vision got him to turn back into Bruce. He's currently resting in his room."

Steve nodded, feeling as if a weight had been relieved from his chest. Nobody had been harmed. Well, nobody that didn't deserve it. "What about the armors?" He asked, frowning a bit.

Natasha sighed. "No news. Tony had retired to his own floor with Rhodey."

Steve was pleased by the fact that the billionaire wasn't alone. "Any clues?"

The redhead shook her head at the question. "It was a really well organized heist. They were out with the suits before they locked you all in with the shooters as a distraction."

Steve sighed. "We'll find them though. We need to do it fast. Tony can only repress so much guilt before he chokes on it. If anything happens to anyone because of the armors, he's going to blame himself, we have to prevent that."

Natasha inhaled deeply. "We will. But for now, all we do is wait. So you might as well rest."

Steve smiled at the woman, knowing she was perfectly capable to call the shots. "I'll try." He finally spoke, making her smile back.


	2. 'Pa Bruce's wild day

" _Good morning, Steve_." Bruce's voice seemed a little off as the soldier entered the shared area the day following the 'incident'. Across from him was sitting Natasha who was sipping on orange juice while reading something on a StarkPad.

The soldier rose an eyebrow. "Is everything alright?" He asked, moving toward the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Yes." The scientist answered, brows slightly creasing.

Natasha sighed softly. "Alright gentlemen." She stood up. "I have a meeting with Fury in half a hour, I'll see you later." She spoke, waiting for the two to nod before exiting the room.

Steve took a careful sip of coffee. "Are you sure you're okay, Bruce?" The doctor hadn't seem more comfortable now that Natasha was gone, if anything he'd grown more tense. Which was odd.

"I am. I really am." He answered, the hint of a strained smile passing on his lips.

The soldier grew closer, brows furrowed as he sat across the scientist to have a good look at his face. "You're a terrible liar." He pointed out, making the other male huff a small laugh.

"It's just... I hurt you. And I'm sorry for it. I hope it doesn't make things too odd between us?"

Steve chuckled. "I'm fine. And we, are fine. Really."

Bruce smiled at the words. "That's good, I'd hate for Captain America to hate me."

The blond blinked, realizing it probably was the first time the other male had referred to him as so. It didn't quite sound right. Especially since Bruce was probably the person who was the most capable to see Steve beneath the muscles and the perks brought by the serum. Just like Steve was perfectly capable to see Bruce and just Bruce, when he looked at the other man. "Neither Captain nor Steve hate you, or the Hulk for the matter."

The scientist nodded. "Feels good to know." He took another sip of his tea. "Friday, where is Tony currently?" Bruce asked the A.I.

"Dr Banner, master Stark is currently on his own floor with Mr Rhodes and Hogan as well as Mrs Potts."

Bruce smiled, remembering the few bits of conversations he'd have with Tony when he'd been forced to play shrink. If the full team Iron-Man was up there, then his science bro' would be fine. Steve seemed a little less convinced and still rather worried for their friend. "He'll be okay. Tony just needs to be alone for a while." Steve rose an eyebrow. "Alone with his people. They get him. I'm not saying the Avengers aren't his team too. But they, are team Tony and only team Tony. He needs that right now."

That made the blond frown. "But he doesn't need us?" He inquired, poorly veiling the hurt in the words. Sure, Tony and him weren't as close as Tony and Rhodey, but they were friends. Steve wanted to be someone the billionaire could rely on in times of need. 

Bruce inhaled deeply. "Of course he does, and we'll be there when he explicitly tells us so. But meanwhile, all we can do, is allow Tony to get in the right headspace to remember that we're a team and that we're on his side too. Right now, he wants to be a solo player, but they'll talk him out of it. Once it's done, I'm sure the first person he'll talk to, will be you."

Steve smiled. "It could very well be you, Bruce. You seem to understand him much better than he understand himself sometimes."

The scientist chuckled. "Tony's mind goes way too fast for me to keep up. I'm just so used to standing in the passenger seat right next to him when he goes on a ride, that I grasped the basics of how he picks his trajectory. But I have no idea about the speed, or where we'll land."

Steve nodded, a little disbelieving. Bruce seemed to forget sometimes, that he was one of the smartest men who'd ever walked on earth. "Sounds a lot like trust to me."

Bruce lightly tilted his head to the side. "Maybe it is. Don't we all need people we can trust ?"

The blond acquiesced. "That's why we have each other, that's why we stand as a team, that's why..." He chuckled. "That's why I need to trust that Tony will do things right. Well played doctor."

Bruce emptied his cup of tea. "Well, I do have 7 PhDs." He smiled, a little pleased with himself. "Don't worry too much, Tony's not gone. He's very much here."

And just like that, Steve felt a little bit better about the uncertainty that was their future. "Do you, huh..." The soldier cleared his throat. "Do you have some time currently, Bruce?" He asked, making the scientist raise an eyebrow.

"I'm not exactly in any sort of rush, but I am working on something, why?"

Steve shook his head. "Nothing important, I just wanted to take an accelerated beginner's class on how a StarkPad works."

The good doctor chuckled at the words. "That's fairly simple, I could show you now and head to my lab afterwards. Does that work for you?" The soldier offered a smile. "I can totally get you Photoshop and show you how to work a graphic pen too! Tony only swears by those when he works on his designs. Here, lemme..." Bruce reached for his own StarkPad, unlocking it with a swift motion before sliding out the smart pen. "So this is, is a creative pen. It basically works like a digital finger or a pen, allowing you to click wherever you want or, well, draw in your case." He smiled. "I just realized that I could just do this on your own pad so you wouldn't have to redo it all later. Does that sound better?"

Steve nodded. "It's in my quarters, safely tucked in a drawer of my desk, I genuinely never used it."

Bruce chuckled at the words, standing up as Steve did. "Lead the way, Captain." It sounded less odd this time, a little off still but full of a warmth that had previously been lacking.

 

~*~

 

Natasha returned hours later, with what she claimed was little useful informations and takeouts. Plus a whistling Clint. Wanda hugged him first. Then Vision politely nodded in acknowledgment. Pepper, Rhodey and Tony joined for lunch. But Bruce and Steve were nowhere to be found. "Fri, where are Bruce and the Capsicle, currently?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I believe they are in mister Rogers' quarters currently." The A.I informed, making most people raise the both of their eyebrows. That surely was an unexpected, interesting ddevelopment.

"Alright, just let them know that Natasha brought some Indian food." Tony said.

"Will do, sir." Came the reply.

 "Is Thor still gone?" Clint asked, examining some massaman chicken curry.

"Mhhmm." Tony answered, reaching for some Byriani. "Any news on my tech?" He asked Natasha.

She shrugged. "Not much. All I got is that this was a planned heist. Which we already knew. Interesting part is, whomever is behind this, is a scientist as well. Someone pretty rich. Apparently he only plans on using them to understand the technology and build an engine that will allow him to fight it back." She informed.

"That's what you call not much?" Rhodey asked, a little impressed. The spy grinned.

"So we're looking for someone who wants to make sure they can take Iron-Man down?" Steve asked, frowning as he entered the room, a concerned Bruce by his side. The scientist took a look at his friend, who grinned at him.

"Many have tried before, none succeeded. Besides, I have all of you now, don't I? Surely the Avengers will avenge me if anything—"

"Don't think like that." Steve intervened. "We won't be avenging you. Whomever it is that's coming after you, is coming after us. We'll fight back." Bruce nodded.

"Boy, he is good at this." Clint said before shoving some chicken into his mouth. Everybody chuckled.

"Bruce, I got you a butternut squash curry." Natasha informed the scientist who smiled gratefully.

"Why does he get a special order?" Clint asked, faux-betrayal etched on his features.

"Mr Banner is a vegetarian." Vision informed, as if it was common sense.

"Why?" Tony asked.

"Meat's expensive." Bruce shrugged, as if it was a meaningless, inconspicuous statement and not a reference to all the time he spent on the run. No money, no shelter, no hope, just his own will not to give up and his intelligence. Most seemed to read between the lines, Tony's expression hardening yet his gaze growing more fond as it fell on his friend. Steve frowned, just a little, thinking about the fact that sometimes, he'd ration his own food despite the fact that his body's metabolism required a lot more than any regular human would. It was just embedded in him. He knew he could just go to a shop and buy whatever he'd want. Yet, when food was running low in the compound, he'd start eating less, telling himself that he didn't really need a snack or that Thor may want that last Pop Tart if he were to stop by. It's odd, how certain behaviors are so deeply anchored in us that it's impossible to truly detach from them.

"You know you don't have to run anymore though, right?" The soldier asked the scientist who blinked at him.

"Do you feel like war is over?" Came Bruce's reply. Steve lowered his gaze, realizing just how perspicacious the man was.

Tony decided to bulldoze straight through the tenseness. "Naan bread tastes better than baguette. There, I said it." Pepper chuckled.

"Lies and slander." Wanda spoke. "What did Baguettes ever do to you?"

Tony inhaled deeply. "Don't come at me Sabrina the teenage witch, I said what I said." Clint started to snicker.

"If I may, Mr Stark, I believe both are individually really great." Vision spoke.

"Oh come on, C-3PO no need to play pacifyer, also, I already told you, you can call me daddy." He winked at Vision.

"If Tony is daddy, what is Bruce? Papa?" Natasha asked, raising both eyebrows.

The scientist blushed. "Oh please, no. Don't get me involved in that."

Clint grinned. "I don't know, I feel like you'd be a good father figure Bruce. Maybe just 'Pa. Yes, 'Pa Bruce."

The good doctor seemed to visibly cringe at the nickname. "Please, no, never."

Tony chuckled, wrapping his arm around his friend's. "Maybe there was a little bit of homo in our bros', 'Pa Bruce." He grinned at Bruce who was choking on thin air. "You may now call me daddy too." Bruce started to loudly cough, wheezing at the words. Tony patted his back. "I think we almost gave him an aneurism." He spoke, humor seeping through his words.

"It's going to be okay, 'Pa Bruce." Wanda intervened.

"Not you too..." Vision's eyes fell on his lover, a saddened expression on his features as the rest of the Avengers started to laugh. She smiled and pecked his lips.


	3. A man out of his time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve goes to the M.E.T.  
> Bruce goes to England.  
> The end of the world might be near?

" _Good morning, Steve_." The oh so familiar and welcomed greeting, with the smell of yet another of Bruce's teas lingering in the air. This morning, however, Tony was seating right next to the scientists, the pair of trained assassins across from them. The soldier nodded, heading toward the coffee machine.

"Where is the rest of the team?" The blond asked, after taking a sip.

"Miss Wanda and Vision haven't left their quarters, as for Miss Potts she's been awake for two hours already and Mister Rhodes went on a run ten minutes ago." F.R.I.D.A.Y informed him.

"Thank you." The supersoldier answered before taking a seat next to Natasha. "Why is nobody saying anything?" He asked.

"Well, Bruce and I are thinking." Tony spoke, projecting the complex calculations on his pad for everyone to see.

"Natasha and I, are thinking too." Clint decreed.

"We are?" The female asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes! About a gift for Lila's birthday!" He exclamated, making Natasha chuckle.

"Right." She grinned.

Steve cleared his throat. "I finished a drawing late night." He told Bruce, who looked away from the projection to smile at him.

"I knew you'd get the hang of it. What is it about?"

Steve blushed. "It's just a memory of  Bucky and I back in the days." Bruce nodded.

"You draw?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, I used to be a bit of an artist back then." Steve shrugged.

"I didn't know that..." Tony squinted his eyes. "Have you been to the Met?" He asked.

Steve furrowed his brows, trying to recall the name before it clicked. "I've always wanted to, never got the chance." He shrugged.

"Well now is your chance Cap, go for it." The engineer spoke, before looking back at his tablet to shift the angle of the projection. Steve tilted his head to the side, considering the thought. It wasn't exactly a bad idea. But would he make it back time if the Avengers needed him? "I can hear you thinking from here Cap, we still have no further informations about the armors, you can take a day off. If anything happens, I have 'Pa Bruce and daddy Hulk by my side."

Bruce choked on his tea, loudly coughing. "Those nicknames cannot stay." The scientist told a grinning Tony.

"Those nicknames shan't stay." Clint added, shaking his head.

"Those nicknames will probably stick." Tony warned, grin widening, in a very 'dare to defy' manner.

"You are a menace." Natasha spoke, seeming a little amused. Tony just winked at her. 

"See, I would call Tony daddy a few times if I were guaranteed it would stop the teasing, but I'm sure he'd just get a kick out of it." Bruce declared, before sighing softly.

Tony grinned. "If you say it once, just once, but like you meant it, I promise I'd stop all the teasing."

Bruce rose both eyebrows. "Promise?" Tony nodded.

Bruce inhaled deeply, anchoring his eyes in his friend's. "Tony," he spoke, voice dropping a few octaves and growing significantly sultrier.

"Yes?" The engineer asked, expression sobering up to a more serious as he found himself a little impressed at the change of tone.

"daddy." Bruce simply added, dragging a little on the second syllable of the word, with a low inflection.

"Yes?" Tony asked again. The palm of a hand was pressed to his cheek as Bruce pushed his face away. "You're an idiot." He declared, grinning just a little.

"Fri, I beg you, tell me you recorded that." Tony looked up at the ceiling as he spoke.

"Yes sir. It was." The billionaire laughed as Bruce hid his face behind his hands.

"How can you be such a blushing mess and such a pretty darn suave man at the same time?" Clint asked, squinting his eyes at the good doctor who's blush deepened.

"Leave him alone Barton, besides, he's not the only one blushing." Natasha pointed out, eyes on Steve.

"Poor Capsicle probably wasn't ready for it." Tony spoke, obviously amused. "Welcome in the twenty-first century, soldier." He added, before going back to the calculations displayed on his tablet. Bruce and Steve shared a glance before both looked away, Bruce focusing back on the numbers on display and Steve emptying his cup of coffee. Some time alone surrounded by art would surely do him well.

Tony and Bruce were the first to leave the breakfast table, Tony was impatient to return to the labs and show Bruce his latest prototype of armor. This one was supposed to be lighter and have a stealth mode. Bruce had emptied his cup of tea and followed his friend, leaving the Shield Agents amongst themselves. Natasha and Clint started to browse on his Starkpad, actually searching a gift for Lila. Or more so Clint kept suggesting ideas the redhead kept shutting down. Steve watched them interact for a few minutes, pretty pleased with how mundane the two seemed. "Caaaap..." Clint whined as yet another of his choice was shut down.

"Oh, I'm not taking part in that discussion." He spoke, before standing up.

"A crossbow just isn't a good idea!" Natasha repeated, making the supersoldier chuckle as he put his mug in the sink. Steve watched Clint throw his head back and decided it was the right moment for him to make his exit. Natasha followed his movements with a curious gaze but remained silent, going back to her conversation with Clint.

Steve decided that the Met could wait. With his particularly sharp eidetic memory, he was fairly sure he could draw Bruce, Tony, Clint and Natasha having breakfast. So he chose to focus on that for a while, resorting to good old paper instead of the tablet. It's not that he didn't like it, it's just that a pencil felt far more authentic. Perhaps he'd stop by a shop and get some water paint, to put some color in there. Slightly redden Bruce's cheek and give Natasha's hair their fierceness. And of course, give back Tony the blue halo that emanated from his chest and caressed his cheeks.

 

~*~

 

"Hey, I meant to ask, is there something going on between you and the Capsicle?" Tony asked Bruce who furrowed his brows, detaching his gaze from the imposing 3D projection to look at his friend.

"Me? And... Steve?" He pulled a face that made the engineer chuckle.

"Alright, I guess that answers it." Bruce inhaled deeply before silently exhaling and focusing back on the model in front of his eyes. "There would be nothing wrong if there were though..." Tony added. "I'm not saying there is, but if there was someone capable of holding you back here, trust me, that would make me happy."

Bruce smiled. "There is." He glanced toward Tony. "You. Otherwise I already would be gone. My bag has been packed for months. But each time I step into the lab to find you there, well, it gives my life meaning, a little." He shrugged. "Besides, you are the first person who's made me, as in I, Bruce Banner, feel safe in a while." Tony beamed, wrapping his arms around the scientist in an awkward side hug.

"I truly love you buddy, and I'm glad to have you here. You're one of the few persons I can handle to closely work with."

Bruce chuckled. "You mean I'm like the third person you can handle to closely work with?"

Tony fondly rolled his eyes. "Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, you, that makes four. Peter on good days, five!" He spoke, grinning for a second before he focused back on the calculations to adjust the model.

"Did you hack into Shield's hellicarrier file to find out how their cloaking mode work?" Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow at the holograms displayed in front of him.

"Maybe." Tony answered, grinning as the good doctor shook his head.

"Bruce!" A loud, chirpy, masculine voice boomed.

"Aaaand he's back." Tony mumbled softly as Thor entered their lab. The scientist chuckled and went to hug their friend.

"It's good to see you doctor, doctor, doctor, doctor, doctor, doctor, doctor, Banner."

Bruce chuckled. "I already told you, you don't have to say it for every PhD I got."

Thor grinned. "But you seem very proud of those, surely they are worth mentioning." The scientist blushed faintly. Thor moved past him to shake Tony's hand. "Starkson, a pleasure to see you again."

Tony shook the Asgardian's hand back. "What brings you here, Point Break?" He asked as Thor let go of his hand.

"I came to visit lady Darcy, apparently she has something she'd like to show me. And Bruce. If he doesn't mind."

The scientist shrugged. "Not one bit, but isn't she a political scientist? It's not exactly my field..." Bruce gently informed.

Thor shook his head. "After spending so long with Jane and Dr Selvig, she decided to get a second PhD in astrophysics."

Bruce grinned appreciatively. "How is Jane doing?"

Thor seemed to frown, sadness washing over his face. "She's a great warrior, surely she will win her battle against cancer."

Bruce nodded. "I have no doubt. Perhaps you should visit her while I talk to Darcy?"

Thor silently nodded. "Alright Tony, I'll either see you at dinner tonight or tomorrow in the lab?" The engineer nodded and the two exited the lab.

A few minutes later, Steve was the one entering the lab. "God gracious, is it an open day?" Tony asked, once again looking away from his calculations.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed to have bothered the engineer in the midst of working. "I was looking for Bruce." The blond informed. "He mentioned being into art and since I'm going to the Met, I thought why not ask him to come with me." He shrugged. "I wouldn't mind the company."

Tony nodded. "Well, you're a few minutes too late Cap, he already left with Thor." He informed, looking back at the screen before him to adjust something.

"Oh, Thor is back?"

Tony hummed. "He took Bruce to England to visit a friend."

Steve nodded. "Alright. I suppose you don't want to spend a few hours getting lost in a museum with me?"

Tony paused, glancing at him, then back at the screen. "Eh, why the hell not. I already know this is perfect, I just needed an outsider opinion."

Steve rose an eyebrow, glancing at the model of the armor. "Stealth mode, huh?" Tony nodded, curiously watching the blond as he examined the model of what could be the next suit. "Well, I know a thing or two about stealth myself." Steve finally finished, an amused smile on his features. 

The engineer's expression grew amused as well. "True. You know what we should do? We should work on it together, your expertise with my knowledge, it's bound to be perfect."

Steve chuckled. "Sure. After the visit of the museum though. You have that crazed scientist expression on your face right now, like you're high on sugar."

Tony laughed but headed toward the exit of the lab without any protest. "Alright Captain, you got yourself a deal."

 

~*~

 

"Are you okay, Thor?" The scientist asked as they landed on the floor of England and Stormbreaker was turned into an umbrella.

"I..." The Asgardian sighed. "I wish I knew, companion. I feel sad, but I don't think I have any rights to be sad when I'm not the one suffering?" The blond frowned. "It's very odd. New Asgard is going fine, Loki has returned and for that I am truly grateful. But I feel..."

"Sad?" Bruce sighed softly. "Of course it's normal. When you care for someone, seeing them getting hurts, affects you too. Jane is fighting a battle on our own, one you simply cannot take part of or fight for her. It's frustrating, unfair and painful. But it's her journey and she needs your support, as the caring friend we all know you can be." Thor smiled, just a little, more so with his tired eyes than the small curl of his lips. Bruce considered it a win.

"Would you, come with me?" The Asgardian asked, making Bruce tense.

The shorter male had watched someone slowly die and ebb away. And while he had no doubt Jane was strong enough to fight her breast cancer, the scientist just wasn't sure it was a sight he could handle again. The helplessness would surely make him angry. He inhaled deeply and offered an apologetic smile. "I think that's a path you need to go down on alone, buddy. But it will be rewarding." Thor nodded as they walked to the University entrance. He was planning on stopping by, hug Darcy and then leave.

 

~*~

 

"It's a closet." Steve declared, brows furrowed as he watched the latest piece of contemporary art. "It's just an open, wooden, closet." He looked crestfallen as he read the description provided by Siah Armajani for a particular piece of their collection called 'Follow This Line'. Tony had been hiding a laugh behind his hand as he watched poor Steve comment on every new piece. "Oh wow, great, a poorly shaped cardboard house on a tree log."

The billionaire let out an ugly snort. Glancing around, he noticed a couple of disapproving eyes trailing behind Steve. The blond walked past a cardboard stair with a door at the top called 'attic door' with a certain disappointment bubbling in his chest. Tony was certainly having the time of his life, but the glares of the people around them, forced him to put his hands on Steve's shoulders and lead the both of them to the next exhibition. "My my, Steve I didn't knew you had it in you to be that acerbic." He commented, grinning.

The blond rolled his eyes. "I think I don't understand modern art?" He sighed, shoulders sagging as he grew disappointed in himself. "Where is the will to make something pleasing for the eye? Something beautiful? Something meaningful?"

Tony paused for a few seconds. "Art has stopped to be about beauty. All of the artists here have a message they're trying to deliver, some in more peculiar ways than other, I'll indulge you this much. But art is no longer just in the eyes of the beholder, it's in the intentions of the artist. And sometimes, art is just a mean of expression, the piece doesn't have to mean anything. Art can be created for the sake of art." 

Steve seemed to consider the words, ending up blushing because he'd been schooled on a subject he believed he had fully grasped. "I have been so rude..." He mumbled repentant, eyes falling shut and lashes caressing his cheeks for a few seconds. When he reopened his eyes, a certain shame was visible in the blue orbs.

Tony laughed. "It's okay, Captain. It happens to the best of us." He clasped the man on the shoulder. "Let's go to the Dutch Masterpiece exhibition next, I have a hunch it'll be far more satisfying for you."

 

~*~

 

"Second PhD, huh?" Bruce asked Darcy as she set up her computer to show him what she had found.

The female smiled. "You can talk Dr Banner, you have seven of those."

The scientist chuckled. "What can I say, I was a prolific kid."

Darcy laughed. "I bet several doctoral advisors hate you. Just imagine being in the committee for the same dude, seven times." The female's eyes widened with horror for a second before she grinned at the man fondly glaring at her. "So," She cleared her throat. "I was studying geomagnetically induced currents when I saw this." She showed the doctor her computer.

"A geomagnetic storm." Bruce furrowed his brows, failing to see what was abnormal.

"Not a, doctor." She spoke, showing him her calculations.

"That's not possible, with the solar cycle it shouldn't be happening that often in such a short time window. The increase in electric current in the magnetosphere and ionosphere could have devastating consequences. Such a strong disruption in the electric distribution all throughout the world could be... Catastrophic." He blinked. "This is nothing like 1989, this is... So much worse." He shook his head in disbelief.

"I know." Darcy mumbled. "But I don't think we could actually prevent this..."

Bruce inhaled deeply. "Unless we mess with the Earth's magnetic field. Which we should not."

"Or..." The female started. "We could work on a solution to be able to cope with the plausible electrical issues."

Bruce furrowed his brows. "We'd need a pretty talented, ridiculously rich and eager to tackle impossible tasks sort of engineer.... Oh. I see. Tony."

 

She nodded. "Yeah, I considered Bruce Wayne but I don't have his contacts." She admitted.

Bruce sighed, removing hisglasses to rub the bridge of his nose. "I guess we could give it a shot. When Thor gets back from the hospital, you can come with us and talk to Tony yourself." The younger scientist nodded, a little excited at the thought of meeting Tony Stark.

 

~*~

 

Steve was like a happy puppy as soon as he and Tony stepped on the roof of the museum. He'd insisted on going through the abstract art exhibition and felt like he was growing capable of appreciating that sort of art. The kind made purely for art in itself. They'd also went through the Northern Renaissance and the Camp one, before ending with Alicja Kwade's Parapivot. It was an imposing, intricated piece. But surely, it was pretty. The supersoldier had been slowly going around the installation, trying to grasp how it was built to be able to modestly replicate it on paper. The wind caressing his cheeks and running through his hair was a nice change from the rooms of the museum, it felt far more natural. Tony had his hands in his pockets, watching the other move with a fond look in his eyes. He wasn't too much into art himself but he was known to appreciate great pieces. And the visit, though unexpected had been enjoyable. It reminded him that though Steve looked like a greek statue and could probably fight a demigod, he was a mortal, a kid just as lost as the rest of them when it came to life. And for some reason, the thought of counting him as a friend was a lot more pleasant when considered that way.

 

~*~

 

Night crept on them, unnoticed yet welcomed. Thor, Bruce and Darcy returned to the compound with the intention of speaking to Tony the following day. Tony and Steve had spent their afternoon in the laboratory trying to work the ins and out of the suit. Now Steve could even create his own projections, felt pretty damn satisfying to get a good hold on technology. Wanda and Vision had watched Disney movies and she'd eaten an unhealthy amount of Popcorn. Clint and Natasha, well, they were Clint and Natasha. Nobody truly knew what they were up to, but as long as they were together, they'd be okay. The two assassins returned with takeouts. People slowly trickled in the dinner room. Nobody truly asking about the latest addition that was Darcy but everybody acutely aware of her presence. She didn't seem to care, making small talk with people as if she just belonged. "It's a pleasure having you here, really," Steve started.

"But, why are you here, exactly?" Tony finished before he could.

"She's my guest." Bruce said, making all eyes fall on him. "What? She's a scientist too. She gets me. I have friends outside of you guys." That got him a few chuckle.

"I have been working on something I'd like to show you, Mr Stark." Darcy added.

"Please, call me Tony." He told her.

"I think I can manage that, Tony." They both grinned. And dinner went on. A little stiff still, yet a lot more natural. Pepper and Rhodey called it a night early and retired to Tony's floor. Wanda proposed to continue the Disney marathon with anyone feeling up for it. Darcy and Thor eagerly accepted it. Clint pretended to indulge them. Bruce had nowhere else to be. Natasha and Tony played it off as if they were doing others a favor by attending. Steve, well, Steve smiled that Captain America smile, filled with a certain pride upon realizing that the team, was becoming a family. So of course he accepted.

"It's truly dark that Bambi's best friend would be called Thumper." Clint commented.

Darcy giggled. "I know." That made Tony snort before he took a sip of his glass of scotch. He'd been sitting on a side of a large corner sofa, legs crossed in front of him. Bruce was sitting right next to him, then there was Steve. Wanda and Vision were sitting on another couch while Darcy and Thor were on the floor, closer to the coffee table on which rested the Pop Corn. But Thor would mostly lay back against the couch, letting Bruce's fingers run through his hair. Natasha and Clint were sharing a long armchair.

"Flower the skunk takes a very specific shape when love strikes them." Vision pointed out, in a very deadpan manner, as he tried to figure out what it meant. All eyes fell on him. Silent ruled the room for a few seconds before someone snorted, creating a string of laughter.

"I'm gonna tell him..." Darcy said.

"Don't you dare." To most people's surprise, it was Tony who'd spoken. "Do not snatch away my son's innocence like that, Mrs Lewis." He paused. "He already has Wanda for that." 

Bruce threw his head back at the remark, as several groans. "We really should have seen it coming." Clint said.

"Oh I'd rather not see anyone come, personally." Tony said, barely dodging the pillow Natasha sent his way. 

"Fri, turn the volume up, please." Bruce begged, looking up at the ceiling. 


	4. Bruce Can Smash Too

" ** _Good morning Steve_**." The soldier frowned, rubbing his eyes. It didn't sound like Bruce. It wasn't Bruce. In fact it was Thor munching on a Pop Tart.

"Morning Thor." He mumbled back, heading toward the coffee machine.

"I'm afraid we ran out of coffee. Lady Darcy and Stark filled their mugs before leaving to the labs."

 Steve sighed softly at the information. "It's fine, I'll just have some tea." Steve answered, pouring himself an infusion he was fairly sure Bruce was the only one daring enough to down. "So how was your trip to England ?" Steve asked, sitting across the Asgardian.

"Cathartic." Thor answered, an amber of sadness settling in his gaze. "Bruce helped me realize some things. And seeing Jane, well, it always fills my heart with joy."

Steve smiled at the words. "That's good." Thor nodded, biting into another Pop Tart. "Thor, I know that since Sakaar, Bruce and you have been close friends. So I was wondering if you could help me with something. Bruce is anything but an open book, so I don't know when or if I'm doing something wrong. And I just wonder, what's in that head of his?"

"Seven PhDs." Thor answered, making the two blond men chuckle. "I'm afraid I cannot help you, Steve. Banner is a very guarded man, and no matter how close one can get it, it'll only be close enough to see what he indulges you. Just be honest and kind with him. There's no reason why that wouldn't work out."

Steve nodded at the advice, taking a careful sip of the tea. Not half as bad as expected. Even, somewhat, good. "I just wish he'd let someone in."

Thor rose an eyebrow. "You?"

Steve shrugged. "You, me, Tony, Natasha, whomever. It'd just feel good to know that he has people he'd stay for. I want him to stay. We all want him to stay."

The demigod nodded at the words, choosing not to push further. "I think Bruce ultimately does what he wants, but definitely is perceptive enough to realize that we all genuinely care about him. Fear not, Captain. The Avengers shall remain together." Those words made the soldier realize that his motives actually were selfish. And that in itself, led to another pretty damning realization.

 

~*~

 

"Remember when I proposed to build a shield around the earth and everybody laughed at me?" Tony asked, seeing the calculations and making some projections.

"This wouldn't fix anything." Bruce argued.

"Well, not like that, no. But, we could've used those to..." The scientist rose an eyebrow, wondering where his friend was going with that. "Nevermind, no, I just like to mention that it's a good idea. Because it's a good idea. Just sayin'." Tony repeated.

"Do we even have a source of energy powerful enough to power a country or even just a city?" Darcy asked, furrowing her brows.

Tony crossed his arms over his chest. "Without taking huge environmental risks? Probably not..." He squinted his eyes. "Though... I might have something... The Stark Energy Reactor."

Bruce frowned. "But it's only been tested on your towers and the compound. A whole country is something completely different..."

"And very hypothetical still, for now." Tony pointed out. "It's just a solution we're considering for a problem that might not even arise or hit everyone the same way."

Bruce's frown deepened. "Tony, this is a lot. No, no, no, genuinely, this is asking a lot from you and I don't..." He removed his glasses, softly pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't want you to exhaust yourself trying to rush progress. What you can do is amazing. Creating several hyper powered reactors would be madness."

Tony clasped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "How about we settle for one then?" Bruce sighed but nodded.

Darcy, had just been silently watching the discussion, afraid to interrupt. "Small question though : How do we know that those reactors are not affected by geomagnetic disruptions?" The two male's eyes fell on her.

"Well, I know for a fact that they're not affected by EMPs so it feels like a safe bet to say that they wouldn't be affected by those either if we boost them."

Darcy nodded. "Alright, but where do we start?" 

 

~*~

 

Steve was absentmindedly punching a bag Tony had conceived specifically for him with a unique type of handle, when Clint entered the gym room. "You alright, Cap?" The agent asked, as he started to stretch.

"My name is Steve." He grunted out, making the other man pause.

"Yeah, I know."

Steve spun to face him. "Do you though? Because it feels like for most people here, Steve doesn't exist."

Barton blinked. "What?"

The soldier sighed. "It's fine, I'm just frustrated."

Clint rose an eyebrow. "Sexually?" He grinned, trying to dissipate the tenseness in the room. "I mean, when was the last time you got laid? Early fourties?" He snorted. Steve sighed. "Fine." Clint schooled his features. "What is it that frustrates you, Steve?"

Oh boy, it sounded wrong in Clint's mouth. Well, to be fair, it only truly sounded good when Bruce was saying it. But that was just the problem, wasn't it? "When you look at me, what do you see?" He asked Clint who seemed to pause to think a little.

"I see a man who's constantly fighting a war, I see a man who's trying not to loose himself to someone he has become a long time ago yet can't quite recognize, I see a man who is so much more than what people see in him." The words poured out with an uncomfortable assertiveness and blunt honesty, the humility of the tone leaving both men wondering just exactly who had Clint been describing. The answer probably was that Clint had pointed out what he saw in himself and could recognize in Steve.

The soldier nodded. "Thank you."

Clint frowned a little then shook his head. "You're welcome, I guess."

 

~*~

 

Tony and Darcy were laying on the floor of the lab, Bruce was sitting on a chair, half-asleep as his head rested against the fist of an arm propped on a desk. "What if we..."

Bruce grunted at Tony's voice. "We probably tried running a model already."

Tony moaned. "True."

Darcy giggled. "What if we didn't do a strong powerful arc reactor but a billion of tiny ones?" She asked, a faint smile on her lips.

"That's not half bad." Tony narrowed his eyes.

"The distribution would take ages though...." Bruce pointed out.

"Not if we warn the authorities and give devices to strategic places as well as the police force." The three scientists sat up straight as the realization downed on them, that might, just work.

"We can't make a billion though. That's not viable." Bruce pointed out.

"True." They all sighed.

"The armors reappeared in China." A feminine voice said, entering the lab. Natasha was there, already in fighting gear. "Someone is using them to keep people at bay while a 30 feet robot destroys everything in The Valley."

The engineer got on his feet. "Guess it's time to suit up."

Natasha nodded. "Wanda, Vision, Steve and Clint are already headed to the Quinjet." She guiltily glanced at Bruce who simply nodded.

"We might need brute strength to take them down. I'll just go grab my bag and meet you all there." Tony and Natasha nodded.

"Well, I guess I'll just be laying on this floor, forever..." Darcy mumbled as they all left the lab.

 

~*~

 

"That looks... Sufficiently terrible." Clint commented as the jet flew over the province of Yunan. Below them, the thirty feet tall statue was shooting beams capable of disintegrating mater with his eyes as the army was trying to attack it. The Mark V was perched on it's shoulder, watching for things unfurl for now. The two other armors were attacking the army from another front. "I don't think it's a good idea to land down." Clint warned.

"Yeah, it's probably better to keep the jet in altitude." Steve conceded. "Alright, Barton and Banner, you remain in here for now, and keep our mean of transport intact, we'll let you know if we need back up. The rest of you, let's get out there." They all nodded, and despite not wearing a parachute, Steve was the first to jump out. "Dumbass." Tony grumbled before going after him. Natasha, who had common sense used a parachute, while Wanda and Vision flew down. Thor allowed Stormbreaker to lead him to where he intended to go.

For a while, it all seemed to go fine, Steve had instructed the army to focus back on the civilians before returning to the fight. Wanda and Vision were facing the armors while Tony, Steve and Natasha were trying to have a go at the giant robot to no avail. 'I think we need backup.' Tony finally said, rushing to get Natasha out of the way as the android tried to step on her while she was down due to a beam of concusive force.

'Green back up?' Bruce asked, his voice sounding hesitant even through the com.

'Am 'fraid so. Sorry buddy...'

'It's fine.' Bruce spoke softly. 'As long as you guys are okay, it's totally fine.' The scientist sighed softly before undoing the buttons of his button up. Bruce felt the anger overwhelm him as he jumped from the Quinjet, consciousness fading away to let the Hulk take over. Roaring as he landed, the green monster aimed straight for the gigantic robot.

'Oh boy.' Clint's voice came through the coms.

"HULK SMASH!" He yelled. And for the first time, the team realized their monster wasn't the biggest one. The height difference didn't stop the Hulk though. He lunged at the android from his ten feet, getting hit by a strong wave of concusive force before he could actually be close enough to hit his enemy. That pissed him off, and the Hulk grew to 15 feet.

'Oh. Oh wow.' Tony commented, before shooting at the opponent from up in the air. He managed to dodge a destructive beam and had to fly higher. Sadly for him, he didn't see the Mark V coming his way and ended up blasted with his own technology. Growing angry, Iron-Man fought back, the two armors having a go at each other in the sky, above the fight.

Hulk was still trying to get close enough to land a hit, getting accustomed to the strength of the concusive wave and perfectly capable of dodging the destructive ones. As the android focused his gaze on Steve who had thrown a shield his way, Hulk saw an opening. With a particularly impressive jump, the green giant managed to sucker punch his enemy square in the jaw. The android stumbled back before catching themselves, growing ten feet bigger.

'Oh this is bad.' Steve commented, blinking at the change of size. Thor who had been helping Vision and Wanda flung stormbreaker at the back of their ginormous opponent, the sound of metal sinking into metal loud in the air. The Android fell on one knee. It then proceeded to remove the weapon. Meanwhile, the Hulk saw another occasion and hit the enemy with a strong uppercut. That only seemed to annoy the artificial construction, who grew in size.

'The armors have been handled.' Wanda declared over the com, not even out of breath but seriously angry. 'Vis ensured that the authorities would give them back to Stark Industries. Apparently they don't want Shield involved.'

'Alright.' Steve's breath was a little heavy and ragged. 'Then our main problem is a gigantic robot who seems to grow sizes when he's angry. And he might just be angrier than Hulk.'At the words, the rage monster snarled, growing significantly bigger, 25 feet. That still was half the android's size but it was still something.

'You guys need to piss our jolly green giant off.' Tony grunted, before dodging a hit. Whomever was wearing his tech was pretty darn good at using it. But he was better. He blasted his opponent who seemed to plumet toward the ground. The engineer let out a sigh of relief at the sight. Finally. 'Alright, I took care of the Third Iron-Man wannabe, I'm heading back to you guys.' Ah confidence, dangerous ally and destructive foe. Before he could do anything, his mask was forcibly removed and his face was sprayed with something. Something that made him feel particularly heavy and tired. 'Uh oh.' He mumbled drowsily as the strong arms of one of his past armor wrapped around him.

'Uh oh what?' Steve asked, through the coms. 'Tony, can you hear me? Tony, are you okay? Tony? Tony?' No reply.

'I think Stark just got kidnapped.' Clint pointed out.

'Can you see him up there?' Steve asked.

'Not right now, no, the scans don't display anything either, but I'll keep searching.' The archer answered, before restarting the Quinjet.

At the news of their ally's possible kidnapping, the Hulk grew even angrier, muscles rippling as he gained ten more feet. Fury fueled, the beast charged at his opponent, managing to tackle it to the ground. Hulk was kicked away, landing in a river with a large thud as Thor cut their enemy's head before it could stan again. The impact of the Hulk against water and the rock beneath it, had been so painful that it had triggered a transformation back into Bruce who gasped awake in pain before fainting again, the river's flow slowly dragging him further away from the team. Luckily for him, Vision found him before he could get too far and picked him up.

'Any news on Tony's location?' Steve asked Clint through the com. 'None, Captain.' Came the sounding disappointed voice of the other man.

'Alright, Barton. Please come and get us." Steve said before glancing at the rest of the team. Natasha was sheathing back her guns a tired look in her eyes and blood dripping from the left corner of her bottom lip; Thor's gaze was on the ground, the god was visibly worried but seemed physically fine; Wanda was standing right next to Vision, a cut right above her eyebrow and the benevolent android had gathered a quasi naked, shivering scientist in his arms. Steve had no idea what he looked like but ever since he'd taken the serum, the pain provoked by every wound of his was particularly acute due to a heightened perception so he'd know if he was injured. Right now, the soldier mostly felt sore and was pretty sure he was nursing a headache, so he had to be fine. Clint landed after a few minutes, and they all made their way inside the Quinjet.

 

"We should've seen it coming..." Natasha pointed out, a neutral expression on her features as she leaned against one of the wall of the cabin.

"We couldn't have." Vision intervened.

"It makes sense though." Steve sighed. "This whole thing was organized to ensure that the Hulk had an opponent that would keep him occupied while Tony was..." Another, longer, sigh. "We should've seen it coming." The soldier repeated."

Thor ran a hand through his short hair. "Stark is resourceful. Wherever he is, we can be sure that he will be fine. What we can do, is try to get him back as soon as possible. Wallowing in our self-pity and chastising each other will be of no use." The Asgardian spoke, with the bare wisdom brought by experience. "We still took down an impressive enemy today. And saved a village. That counts for something."

Steve nodded in acquiescence. "Thor is right. This might not be a complete victory but it surely isn't a battle lost. We need to focus on doing everything we can to get Tony back. We owe it to him."

Bruce started to visibly twitch in his sleep, grunting as he contorted on the camp bed he'd been laying on. After a while, the scientist awakened, blinking bleary eyed with every muscle in his body aching. "Did we win?" The middle aged man asked, sitting up. No answer came right away. Slightly furrowing his brows, he examined the face of his allies, his friends and noticed that one was missing. Bruce blinked, a tinge of grin creeping up his neck. "No..." He shook his head. "He can't..."

"He's not! No, no, no, Bruce, he's not!" Steve intervened before the situation would get out of hands. "Tony is NOT dead."

The scientist seemed to visibly relax. "But he's not here either, is he?" Steve's eyes fell to the ground at the question and Bruce started to breath rapidly, nostrils flared.

"Bruce," Natasha's voice came through, sounding as if heard from the distance, through the tinnitus ringing in the scientist's head. "Bruce, you can control it. Right now, we need you, not the Hulk, but you." She added with an unfeigned determination as she grew closer to him. "You can control it, I know it. I know you."

At the words, the scientist chuckled. "Do you though? Do you truly know me? Because it felt like you simply wanted to ensure that you were bringing the biggest gun to the fight. When did you get to know the real me, exactly? Skimming through my files?" He asked, the green returning full force to his neck.

She visibly flinched. "If you believe that, then you really don't know me either." She answered, before swallowing thickly.

"I know you just fine. You were scared of me at first, but still undeniably drawn and then, then you realized there was nothing scary about a mirror, didn't you? I've loved you Natasha, I've loved you because you were just like me."

She blinked, an unkind smile curling up her lips. "There's a huge difference between us, Bruce. While I came to term with the fact that I chose to become who I am, you still eagerly blame everyone else but yourself." His nails dug into the palm of his hands, as his arms started to grow in size. "We're not the same, no, you're scared of yourself. So scared you're willingly giving control to someone else to do your dirty work. You wanna be mad at me? Be mad at me." She poked him in the chest. "You. Not Hulk. You." The scientist's nostrils flared again, but he seemed to regain some control.

Turning away from the woman, he reached for the duffel bag he'd kept taking with him, wherever he'd go. "Don't worry, I won't be blaming anyone but myself this time around." He headed toward the rear of the Quinjet. "Clint, can you open it, please. Or shall I punch through it?" The archer glanced at Steve who nodded and pressed the button. Feeling himself shifting, Bruce jumped right out.

 

Natasha sat on the bed previously occupied by Bruce. Lowering her head, she started to run her hands through her hair. "I'm sorry."

Steve sighed and went to sit next to her. "You care for him, it clouded your judgement a bit, it happens."

She looked up, eyes searching for his. "Not to me, no." Was her reply. "I've compromised the mission. I've let the Hulk out. This is..."

"Bad?" Steve tried. She nodded. "We'll fix it. We're the Avengers. We've dealt with worse." He added.

"An angry norse god." Clint pointed out.

"Aliens." Thor added.

 "A robotic war." Wanda added.

"And a giant robot, just now." Vision added. They all looked at each other and chuckled, a little forced and choked out, but somehow relief seeped through. The situation was a mess, true, but they probably were the best equipped to deal with it.


	5. The Tangerine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, but this version of the Mandarin is straight out of my mind, there is very little truth in it. I think.

"Oh my god, finally." Tony let out a long exhale as Bruce was pushed into the room. "Oh no...." He threw his head back when he noticed that the scientist was followed by someone wearing his stolen armor. "Tell me the others know where you are..."

Bruce bit his bottom lip as he was led closer to Tony. "I..." The scientist sighed. "I wasn't exactly trying to rescue you, I was trying to get away from Natasha...."

Tony blinked. "So girls frighten you now? No, no, I get it, fourth graders have the same issue."

The good doctor rolled his eyes. "Well, she's a super assassin who is deadly with her tongue too..." He spoke and pouted.

Tony rolled his eyes as the scientist was tied up next to him. "Now is not the time to share about your kinks. Just, get angry so we can get out of here."

Bruce frowned. "No."

The engineer glared. "Robert, Bruce, Banner, get angry. Right now." Tony swallowed thickly, betraying a certain anguish.

"I could hurt you..." Bruce spoke, voice softening as he picked on his friend's distress but still not ready to just obey.

"I don't care. Bruce, I'm solid, I might not be the Hulk or Captain America but I can take hits, I just need you to get us out of here, please." The scientist examined his friend's face for a few, seemingly long, seconds before he sighed. Closing his eyes, his allowed the thrumming beneath the surface to take over, replaying the conversation with Natasha in his head. Within a minute, his restraints were long forgotten, the muscles impressively growing as patches of green covered his skin. Growling lowly, Hulk was eager to be fully let out.

"Hulk, buddy, it's me...." Tony tried, realizing that the risk he took might've been a little miscalculated.

"Banner friend." A low voice growled.

"Hulk's friend too!" Tony blurted out.

"You make me take stairs!" The Hulk answered, visibly displeased.

"True. But I also buy the Pop Tarts for you and Thor!"

The Hulk frowned, trying to recall what Tony was talking about."Tiny Avenger." He chuckled at the thought of Thor. That was good. At least the Hulk remembered the Avengers. "Tin man." He blinked, examining Tony's face. Without the suit he looked so frail and scared. 

"Please, Hulk, could you help me out of those?" Tony attempted, gesturing at the chains around his wrists. Hulk seemed to consider it for a few seconds before he tugged on the chains linking the shackles to a nearby wall. Tony's hands loosely fell on his sides. It wasn't quite what he had hoped for, but it was a start. "Alright big guy, I'm going to need you to do something else for me." Hulk grunted. "I need to be careful and remove those, and fast. Because I'm fairly sure that this place is filled with cameras and that means several someone are coming for us."The Hulk looked down at the shackles, studying Tony's face, expecting distrust. When he found none, the green giant caringly reaching out and removed the binds.

 

"That was just adorable." A masculine voice forced the two to look toward the entrance. "I was afraid he'd crush your wrists but no. So that means our fight will be a little fairer then." The man spoke. "I heard you've been acquainted with Ultimo. My beautiful boy, a fine piece of technology that android..." He sighed. "What a shame it ended so badly." Something moved out of the shadows as the Hulk snarled, revealing an armor with a fully activated Gamma Protocol. Hulk's eyes flickered from the armor to Tony before he growled, ready to lung at his opponent.

"While they're at it, let me properly introduce myself." The man grew closer to Tony, seemingly unbothered by the two colossus and held out a hand to shake. "My name is Zhang Tong, but most people around here call me The Mandarin."

Tony furrowed his brows. "Like Tangerine in french?" He asked, skeptical.

"No. Like the language, we're in China, you—" He sighed, withdrawing his hand as he noticed that Tony was grinning. "Nevermind."

The engineer narrowed his eyes. "What do you want from me?"

The man shrugged. "What do men want from their foe if not defeat?"

Tony scoffed. "I didn't even know you existed yesterday still, we're only enemies because you're a bad guy, there's nothing personal."

The other male snarled. "You and your technology have incessantly stood in the way of my revenge! You, are, my archenemy!"

Tony pulled a face, unconvinced. "Well this is awkward... But such a title cannot be bestowed that promptly. You know what, I'll process your application and get back to you later, alright? How does that sound?"

The man chuckled. "I'm afraid there is no better time than now to settle this, Mr Stark." He paused. "However I am a man of honour."

Tony frowned. "Well, the kidnapping didn't quite give that impression but you do you." The billionaire's frown deepened when he noticed that the Hulk and the suit were no longer in sight, seen the hole through the wall and hearing the grunts though, the scientist could tell the jolly green giant was still standing. But for how long? "So?" Tony prompted. "How do you want to do this? Katanas? Gunshot? A dance battle? You tell me."

The man laughed. "Follow me, Mr Stark." He spoke, leading the two out using the regular door. After a last glance in the direction from which the Hulk's sounds could be heard, the engineer followed the madman deeper into his castle.

 

~*~

 

Steve was restless, turning and twisting into the unfamiliar, small, bunk bed he was occupying. The on-ground Shield Facility was big and each of the Avenger had their room, but knowing that two of their people was missing, was leaving the Captain unable to allow his mind to ebb away. Steve sighed and sat up, running his hands through his hair. Wherever Bruce had gone, it shouldn't occupy his mind that much, not when Tony was in actual danger. The good doctor was perfectly capable to handle himself and had chosen to disappear. It was a deliberate act. Meanwhile, Tony had been abducted and surely, whatever was happening to him right now, couldn't be enjoyable.

The blond heaved a deep sigh and pushed the covers away. He reached for a white shirt and tied back the lace that kept the sweatpants lended to him together. He then pushed a button, the door of the room sliding to the side as he walked out. Surely there had to be a gym somewhere in that facility. Before he could make it there though, he ran into Maria Hill who seemed in a rush. "Hi." He spoke, making her look up from her tablet and pause.

"Captain. Didn't knew you'd be here." She answered.

"I didn't knew you'd be here either."

She chuckled. "Have been for a while, someone has been messing up with missiles owned by different countries for a little while now, Codename:Mandarin." The blond nodded. Her tablet loudly biped, indicating that an American missile was being redirected. She frowned. "I'll see you later, Captain." Just like that, she was gone. He frowned a little but let her go. She probably had more accreditations than him and Natasha combined anyway so she'd only tell what she wanted to. And clearly, that wasn't a lot. So he kept going, seeking for an actual distraction capable of exhausting him to sleep. Luckily for him, it came a few seconds later, when the whole building got under alert because the Hulk was apparently attacking civilians. "Well, fuck." The soldier grumbled before rushing back into his room to get dressed.

 

By the time Steve made it to the Quinjet, everybody was already there and Clint was drinking some grape juice box. "Captain." The archer spoke. Steve nodded and Clint loudly emptied the box before starting the jet. Shield agents could be seen rushing through cars in the wee hours of the morning as the Avengers drove toward the ruckus.

"This is my—"

"It's nobody's fault. We're not going to play the blame game." Clint spoke, expression hardening a bit. "We're going to fix this. Because we're the Avengers."

Wanda sighed. "What we cannot save, we ought to avenge..." She mumbled softly, thinking about Sokovia. Vision reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. She smiled a little, eyes shut.

 

~*~  
  


 

Apparently the Hulk had been fighting with an Iron-Man armor under gamma protocol, the two had bursted out of the forest to enter a village of the valley. The Hulk had then managed to tackle his opponent's to the ground and pummel hard enough to render whomever was in the armor unconscious. He'd then snarled and glared at the scared looking population and punched through a small house before shrinking in sizes.

"So no real casualties?"Steve asked, as Natasha debriefed them all.

"No, not yet." The redhead answered. "We need to get to him before SHIELD does, they're planning to shoot him with tranquilizers strong enough to force back the transformation."

Vision seemed to frown. "That wouldn't be good for doctor Banner's physiological health."

Thor sighed. "Nor the mental one." He pointed out. Bruce will most likely want to leave and disappear again... All of them acknowledged that to a certain extent.

 

The Avengers landed in the forest at the entrance of the village. All of the Avengers made their way out. As a team. What they weren't expecting was for Tony to land before them. The billionaire removed the helmet of his armor. "Took you guys long enough." He huffed, unimpressed.

Steve frowned. "Tony, how did you—"

"Later." The engineer interrupted. "We need to get Bruce out of here before Shield decides to do things their own way." They all nodded. Tony put his helmet back on and started to fly up, accompanied by Wanda and Vision.

After huffing softly, Clint started to run, Steve and Natasha ahead of him. "I really, should, fucking retire..." He grumbled, shaking his head as he pulled out an arrow out of his quiver and nocked it as he ran. The archer could see the back of the giant as he roared at a civilian who had tried to shoot him. So he shot a bola arrow at Hulk's head to catch his attention, or more so divert it from the civilian. As expected, the green rage monster found itself disgruntled by the projectile hitting the back of his head and focused its attention on the ground of newcomers on the ground. "Now what?" Clint asked the others, offering a tight-lipped smile to the super soldier that stood a few meters ahead of him.

"Now we fight." Steve spoke, before throwing his shield at Hulk's head, which ended up nicking the giant's cheek and making him angrier, thus growing sizes. Thor sighed and lept toward the beast, sucker punching the Hulk in the face. It wasn't enough to send Hulk to the ground on its own, but coupled with Vision and Wanda's blasts of energy it did work. The Hulk fell backward in a large thud. Tony took the occasion to activate the gamma protocol of his own suit. "Sorry buddy." He apologized and heaved a long sigh before he started to pummel the Hulk until he was knocked out.

Slowly, the beast shifted back to a much smaller frame, bones breaking and reforming in the process as Bruce was forced back into his own body. Heaving a sigh of relief, Tony's armor returned to normal and he removed the front of his helmet to glance around at the damage. Most of it seemed to be destruction property. Upon realizing that shield was evacuating civilians and searching for possible casualties, the engineer realized that it was time for the Avengers to be gone. "Who even got Shield involved?" Tony asked and sighed as he picked up his unconscious friend.

"Nobody, Shield just tends to know where to be." Clint informed as they headed back toward the Quinjet.

"Let's just get back to New York." Steve spoke, ending the ersatz of conversation.


	6. Not Friends.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You deserve much better than me. You deserve gentle, kind, meaningful, why would you..." Steve shrugged. "I wanted." That made Bruce laugh at the absurdity of the situation. How could someone so perfect want him?
> 
> {Updated to be a smoother read}

When Steve walked into the shared quarters, he couldn't help but frown at the empty chair and lack of smell of tea in the air. After they'd returned, Clint decided to head back home and Natasha was out for her morning jog. Tony was probably sleeping in late, forced to rest by Pepper and Rhodey. Vision and Wanda usually weren't up before 9. For a while Steve had been jealous. Because he had thought they were simply capable of sleeping in, despite all the shit they'd seen. But then he'd learnt that Wanda struggled to sleep through the night and tended to fall asleep at the early hours of dawn. As for Thor, well, Steve had no idea. The Asgardian seemed to have a biological clock of his own, awakening when he pleased, sometimes gone off somewhere before anyone else had awaken or to be found around 7 in the kitchen, eating Pop Tarts. The only constant was Bruce, who would always be in the kitchen by 6:30, reading and drinking his tea until 7:15 and then leave for the lab. The man actually woke up around six and went for a walk or did some yoga, when the training room was empty. Steve knew because one night, he'd been struggling with his own demons and had spent a serious amount of the night punching bags with the hope to exhaust himself. Bruce had walked in and apologized before pausing, frowning and rushing toward him to examine his fists. The scientist had managed to somehow manhandle the super soldier, force him to sit down and properly bandage the fists. No questions asked. He'd just invited Steve to his yoga session and nodded understandingly when the soldier had headed to bed instead. A part of Steve seriously wondered if it hadn't been done it on purpose. "Good morning, Steve." The blond mumbled to himself and moved toward the coffee machine.

 

~*~

 

"Brucie bear, come on pal." Tony stood between the scientist and the door of the infirmary. "Nobody died, I swear. So what if you destroyed a few houses, huh?"

Bruce heaved a sigh. "No human casualty? Good. That means Hulk has a certain restrain. Perfect. But get this Tony: I don't, want to be here."

The engineer seemed genuinely wounded by the words. "Why?" He asked, making his friend silently wince.

"I said some stuffs I'm not proud to Natasha and let's say she hit back just as hard. Besides, I serve no real purpose, the Avengers are doing fine now. You guys are a functional team, with or without the Hulk."

Tony shook his head. "Not without you, Bruce, no." Truly, sometimes Tony couldn't grasp why it was so difficult for Bruce Banner, one the brightest mind of this century, to believe that people could care for him. "What if you and Natasha had a fallout? Just talk to her and fix it." The billionaire said, knowing that the spy cared for Bruce too. The scientist frowned, visibly cringing. That made the engineer pause for a second. "Really? That bad?" He inquired. "Still. Come on Bruce, you're anything but a coward..."

The good doctor chuckled. "My whole life is an escapism tale Tony." He pointed out, eye twitching for a second. "I very much am a coward." Bruce's shoulders moved in an apologetic, jerky shrug. "The other guy fights my battles for me while I exhausts myself trying to rein him in. There's no way I'm risking hurting Natasha more than I did. Or anyone else for the matter. You said it, I'm fine."

Tony slightly tilted his head to the side. "Only physically."

Another chuckle came from his friend. "Can a single one of us here claim to be mentally fine?"

And yes, okay, fair point. But the billionaire wasn't quite ready to give up on his friend quite yet. "Do you even know where you're going?" Tony asked, a certain worry coloring his words.

Bruce sighed. "I'll figure out when the time comes. I always did, Don't worry."

Tony sighed, knowing just how capable Bruce Banner was to disappear. "I thought..." The engineer furrowed his brows, earnest sadness reflected in his dark orbs. "I thought I was, that whatever we were doing here..." He shook his head. "Actually no.You, you said that I was worth staying for, didn't you?" He asked, voice low and raspy.

Bruce's expression seem to sadden and soften at the same time. "You are." He promised. Because he knew Tony needed the reassurance, because he cared for his best friend and needed the man to know he was more than enough. Tony had always been more than enough. Sometimes too much even. But in a way that left Bruce bewildered about how he'd gotten lucky enough to strike such a friendship. 

Tony pouted, petulantly. "Then why are you leaving?" 

Bruce choked on an attempt of a laugh. "Because I, I need to keep moving." The scientist brought a hand to his friend's shoulder, smiling before he gave it a light squeeze and walked out of the room.

 

~*~

 

"Do you truly think I need the biggest gun to be efficient in a fight?" A female voice asked when Bruce entered his room, making his jaw clench.

"No." Came his answer.

"Good." Natasha stood up from the bed she'd been sitting on. His bed. Bruce noticed absentmindedly. Funny thing probably was that he would've given a lot to find her right there a few years ago. "Pardon my intrusion, I just didn't want to miss you. I figured you'd be leaving..." The scientist nodded. "Bruce, I—"

"Please, don't." He interrupted, harsh and impatient. "I'm the one who owes you an apology but I wouldn't know how to voice it so let's not do that." 

She scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, doctor. You didn't hurt me that much." He shot her a questioning glance but nodded. And it felt far too much like he was indulging her for the redhead's liking. She moved closer to him, eyes locked with his. "Were you, truly, never afraid of me?" She asked.

"Never." He answered in a beat, without thinking. "Not because you weren't scary but simply because you never threatened me. I didn't really mind being manipulated by you."

She chuckled softly. "You manipulated me too, didn't you?"

He shrugged. "I gave you what you wanted. A way out. I wasn't lying about that."

She inhaled deeply, before nodding at the words. "Would you, would you have ever left with me?"

His fists clenched at the question asked. "When you first said you wanted to come with, it was like I had a real shot at happiness again. I would've let you decide the destination even, if you'd ever truly considered choosing me."

She lightly tilted her head to the side, a sad smile appearing on her face. "I waited for you to come back, I wished for you to come back, I...."

He shook his head. "None of it. I want to hear none of it." The male heaved a long sigh. "Natasha, we're adults, you made a call that saved people. I respect it. I respect you. But don't feed me that story, please. You never belonged to anyone but yourself." He sighed. "Perhaps that's why I admired you the most."

Her face hardened. "You really can't believe someone truly cared for you, huh?" She asked, feeling a little pity for the wounded man. No greater than her frustration at the words though. She cared. Truly. Genuinely. Always had. She understood that Bruce struggled to believe he was worth loving, but she didn't like being doubted of. Not by someone she still, felt a certain affection for.

The scientist bitterly chuckled at the words. "There was a single woman who ever cared for me like that. Her name was Betty Ross. You are not, Betty Ross."

She nodded. "No. I'm not." She admitted, eyes growing glossy for a second before she blinked any possible tear away. "And I refuse to compete with your past. Maybe you should try to move on from it."

"Move on to what exactly?" Bruce asked, disbelieving. "My life hardly is worth living and I can't even end it."

The female shook her head, displeased at how eagerly he retreated to the role of bystander. "Bruce, you can't keep living your life as if you were a victim, you're not. You actively brought this on yourself. I know I sound mean when I say it, but you need to realize that your fate is and has always been in your hands. Whatever you choose to make out of it, is yours. And you can go and play hide and seek wherever you want, from your friends, from the government, or whomever it is you try to run away from next, but not from yourself. Wherever you go, Bruce Banner, your demons will follow you. I can swear you that much."

The scientist recoiled, wounded by the words that stung harder than a slap in the face. "You don't... You don't understand." He croaked out, feeling the anger bumbling underneath.

"Because you never allowed anyone to even try to." She answered, standing oddly still as she picked up on the change of attitude.

When Bruce was scared, he'd get angry and let someone else deal with whatever was scaring him. Dr Jekyll begging Mr Hyde to come to his help and fix his problems for him. The good doctor had coped with his fears on his own for so long, that he eagerly took every occasion to let someone else make them disappear before they became a plausible trauma. The aftermath hurt, yes. But pain was more comfortable than fear. Bruce could stomach self-loathing much better than choked up sobs provoked by a wounded heart and too painful memories. He didn't need more of those. The scientist was aware of all that. It still hurt to hear in someone else's mouth. Natasha was far too assertive to be a good match for him. That much he could see now. The scientist rolled his shoulders a few times, forcing himself to reign over his feelings. He could do it. He knew that much. Natasha was no threat. Bruce had always believed that she liked to appear threatening because she didn't want to be scared anymore either. "Get out of my room." He finally spoke. She nodded and he almost could see the hint of a smile that danced on her lips as she made her way out. He, Bruce Banner, needed to punch something.

 

~*~

 

Steve looked up from his drawing and frowned when a seemingly frustrated Tony entered the shared quarters to pour himself a cup of coffee. Usually, by that time the engineer was in the labs he shared with Bruce on his third cup of coffee. They had a machine there. Tony would just always bring his Ironman mug offered by a kid to him. But it had been there waiting for him all morning. So that meant Tony hadn't drank coffee before 11:36? The blond blinked. Sure, he'd expected the scientist to wake up late but for Tony late meant 9. So when Steve had seen no one he'd assumed Tony had actually been down there all night, Rhodey and Pepper be damned. "Oh my God, just ask, it's rude to stare, Capsicle." Tony spoke. The soldier blinked, forced out of his deductive thoughts.

"Right. What's going on?"

The billionaire sighed. "Exactly what we knew would happen. Bruce is leaving."

Steve let out a small, quiet "Oh." He glanced at the drawing on his tablet and sighed. "That's okay. We'll know where to find him when we need him. Shield keeps tabs."

Tony chuckled. "Right. Because that's exactly the same. In case you weren't aware, some of us are actually friends with Bruce Banner and don't just need the Hulk to be part of this team." The blond exhaled deeply. Choosing not to take the bait because he knew the engineer was angry. "Some of us have a life outside the Avengers, Captain. Maybe you should try. Actually make some friends, finally get laid and unwind, living a little, it could so you well." The Supersoldier just blinked, unamused but not quite angry to the point of engaging in a back and forth. So Tony went on, for the sake of unwinding because he needed to hurt. And he needed someone else to hurt too. "I know that everything you ever loved is probably dead by now so you probably stopped using your heart the day you were frozen but it's time to bring it back to life, Ken doll." Satisfaction curled up the engineer's lips as he noticed that something finally snapped in Steve. The soldier drew his chair back and stood up, deciding to silently leave the room, most likely to go punch something.

Sighing, Tony took a sip of a lukewarm coffee and curiously moved toward the table, peering at whatever Steve was doing. "I'm an idiot." He grumbled when he realized that it was a drawing of all the Avengers during movie night. Most were still outlines, except for him and Bruce, who's body had been leaning to the side pressed against Tony, on the brink of falling asleep. The space where Steve had been sitting was now occupied by Pepper who was reading something on a tablet. Tony chuckled when he saw that Rhodey had been added too. Now Tony's feet were resting on his lap. There were small notes scribbled right above, unimpressed but fond look, reference : when he looks at a drunk Tony. To Steve's credit, that was spot on.

 

~*~

 

Bruce's movements grew more fluid as he gained speed, striking the wing chun that stood before him. The good doctor had resorted to something more violent than breathing exercises and hot yoga. At first, it had felt odd being the one who had to finish a hit instead of letting the Hulk take over, that's why he'd gave up on the punching bag after a few minutes. But the good doctor was still in shape due to his time running and definitely knew how to hit. Throughout time, he'd picked up on several different techniques when it came to self-defense because when you're a white man alone, you look a lot like an easy target and Bruce didn't want Hulk to come out and slaughter everyone. So he'd learnt, out of necessity and the wooden dummy had always been something he enjoyed, because it required more coordination and precision than pure strength. Lost in thoughts, he kept going with an unexpected precision, relentlessly striking the wood with the heel and the side of his palms. 

Steve stumbled in a few minutes later, frowned and then paused at the door to watch the other man. In all honesty, he'd been expecting Bruce to be gone, which would've explained Tony's mood better than 'Stark is a fucking jackass'. A part of the blond felt a little disappointed in the billionaire until he remembered that Tony had been kidnapped and very silent about whatever had happened there. Thus it was probably unfair to expect Tony just to be okay after that. If he needed to unwind, well, Steve could handle a few hits. Better Tony hurting him that himself. The soldier could feel his blood boil at the simple thought of a friend being tortured.

"At ease, soldier." Bruce's voice interrupted, without stopping in his movements.

Steve frowned. "You knew I was..."

"Yes, I picked up on your scent." Bruce sighed. "It's weird. It's a Hulk thing."

Steve chuckled. "I can sorta relate." That made

Bruce pause to look at him with a very scientific curiosity. "The serum?" He asked, getting a nod from the other man. The good doctor nodded in acknowledgement and chose to leave that stone unturned. "Are you planning to stand on the threshold until I'm done? I have it under control don't worry." The scientist spoke in a detached, factual manner.

Steve frowned, wondering what the other man was referring to for a few seconds. "Oh! Oh no. No, no, I'm not worried about Hulk. I told you that before."

Bruce nodded. "That you did. Then why were you growing so stiff and anxious just watching me?"

Steve rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. "It's just... I was thinking about some stuffs. Amongst which were Tony's sour mood." The blond explained, a faint shade of red coloring his cheeks as Bruce narrowed his eyes. His mouth was slightly open, breath ragged and t-shirt clinging onto a frame few would've actually expected from the seemingly inconspicuous middle aged man.

"Ah yes, fuck, Tony." Bruce's whole demeanor seemed to change. "I told him I was leaving." He shamefully admitted, lowering his head as he rubbed the back of his neck.

The words drew Steve out of his contemplation. "When?" He asked, holding his breath as he awaited for the reply.

"I... Ah... I'm not anymore." The scientist informed. "I was supposed to be gone by now though."

Steve nodded. "Figured." He let out, then exhaled, something akin to satisfaction passing on his features. 

Bruce sighed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to keep hitting this wing chun until I no longer feel like running the hell out of the compound or pluck out my own eyes, whichever comes first."Steve's expression was stuck in a contrite expression, not sure whether or not he could chuckle at that. Bruce laughed, making the blond smile. "Sorry Captain, I sometimes forget how much you care for people."

Steve frowned, more at the moniker than at the words. "Steve, please." He asked. The good doctor seemed to pause before he smiled and nodded.

"Well, Steve, my question remains unanswered. Are you planning to stand here forever or do you eventually plan on actually, actively do something ?" Bruce asked, observing the unmoving blond.

The soldier chuckled. "I was planning to hit a punching bag until I no longer felt the hitch of punching Tony in the face or berate him until I ran out of voice."

Bruce laughed. "You might be in here forever."

Steve didn't laugh. On the contrary, his face grew serious. "About that... Why do you just take it? The incessant poking..."

The scientist chuckled. "Tony is just probing to find which button to press the day he truly wants me out of his life for good. I won't give it to him. On top of that, he truly is a good friend to me. One of the few I currently have."

Steve frowned. "You shouldn't settle, Bruce."

That made the scientist frown too and then scoff. "I'm not settling for Tony Stark. I enjoy spending time with him. I feel listened to, understood, seen."

That made the supersoldier pause and consider things. And yes, perhaps he understood now. Not completely but he was starting to grasp it. He looked down at the scientist's clenched fists and took a few steps forward. "I'm sorry." He spoke earnestly, eyes focused on his teammate's right fist.

Bruce exhaled deeply, taking a few steps back and unclenching his fists. "I'm not asking you or anyone for the matter to understand me. Too many people have tried already. And it was never pleasant for anyone."

The blond nodded. "I'm not trying to get in your head. I'm just trying to...." He shook his head, considering the best way to convey what he meant. "See you, I guess."

The gamma expert narrowed his eyes, growing significantly closer to the supersoldier, to take a good look at his eyes. "Why?" He asked, unconvinced.

"Because I'd like to make my crossword buddy a real friend. I think." The answer was so earnest and fundamentally Steve that it made the doctor chuckle.

"We are real friends, don't be silly."

The blond pouted. "Are we though? You spend hours in the lab with Tony everyday, make sure to play chess with Vision at least once a week, willingly play videogames with Clint and Thor every time the both of them are here despite the fact that Mario Kart makes them go all beserker, you— he seemed to search for another example for a few seconds— you, you go to the vegan market every sunday morning with Pepper and have a book club going on with Wanda and Rhodey. Which most of the rest of us still are wounded for not being invited to join by the way. And you and Natasha have that weird thing going on that I will politely stop talking about." A faint blush slightly reddened Steve's cheeks when he realized just how aware he was of the other male's existence. That didn't stray him from his point for too long, though. And so, he bluntly asked : "What do we actually do together?"

Bruce smiled, thoughtful. "We have breakfast, every single morning."

Steve seemed to fumble around his words for a few seconds. "But-but you missed it today! And-and-and we don't say anything!"

The good doctor frowned. "So? Isn't silence enjoyable with the right company?" Steve seemed taken aback. "Our lives are so loud and fast, always. When you come in and sit across from me all I can think about is that if I ever had to be trapped in a moment, it'd be one of those mornings. When things are peaceful and silence doesn't sound so damn deafening."

The soldier's eyes widened, his lips tentatively curling up. "I-I didn't know that."

The scientist sighed. "I was hoping you just felt that." He shook his head. "Perhaps then, we're not really friends." He spoke and decided to leave, walking past the supersoldier.

The blond looked up at the ceiling. "Friday, activate private protocol, please." He then turned toward the leaving scientist. "Bruce!" He called, making the brunet spun on his heels.

"What?" The scientist asked. "What else do you—mph." A pair of lips crashed on top of the doctor. And for agonizingly long seconds, Steve was left wondering if he'd made a mistake, but then Bruce was kissing back and he considered it a win. "Guess we've found the friendly activity we'll be doing together, then." The scientist spoke, against the blond's lips. Steve laughed before deepening the kiss. He was just now realizing how bad he'd wanted to do that.

 

~*~

 

"There you are!" Darcy stumbled in the common quarters. "I've been looking for Bruce and you everywhere!" She told Tony. "Our problem is not going to fix itself on its own, Stark and I think I might've found a decent solution while you were all out avenging and stuffs."

The engineer emptied his cup of coffee and nodded. "Let's go to the lab then."

He declared. Darcy nodded. "Will Bruce join us there?"

Tony shook his head. "Not today, no. And probably not for a while..." He spoke and sighed. 

 

~*~

 

"This was fun." The scientist commented, very matter of factly as he rubbed his index and middle finger in soothing circles in between his eyes. He was laying on an exercise mat, eyes shut, having an existential crisis about the fact that he might've just become sexfriends with someone he might be falling for. Which would've been a good thing to know before and not realize while they were at it. "Tony is going to give me so much shit for it..." He mumbled, making Steve laugh.

"We don't have to tell anyone." He commented before kissing the scientist's bare shoulder. Of course Steve doesn't want to tell anyone. He was a reputation to uphold to.

"Mhmm." The good doctor went along, not particularly pleased at the prospect to be a secret. Steve wasn't either for the matter. He didn't plan to become friends with benefits with someone he'd been falling for. It was a stupid idea through and through. But if he could only have crumbs, he'd learn how to settle for love kernels. "I had no idea you actually could do what we did with a man." Bruce commented, opening his eyes to look at his, well, lover, to a certain extent.

Steve blushed like a virgin, which was pretty ironic seen the situation. "Me neither to be honest."

That made the scientist frown. "This was your first time?"

The blond nodded. The good doctor covered his face with his hands, a litany of no pouring out for a few seconds. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've... Well, no, I probably wouldn't have, at all. You deserve better than this." He gestured around them. "You deserve much better than me. You deserve gentle, kind, meaningful, why would you..."

Steve shrugged. "I wanted." That made Bruce laugh at the absurdity of the situation. How could someone so perfect want him? "Next time, we'll do things better." He pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of the soldier's lips. "Slower." Bruce got a groan out of the blond, making him chuckle. "Softer." He he pressed a kiss at the junction between the soldier's next and his shoulder, resisting the urge to mark him solely because he was pleased enough with the wanton moan he elicited from the other. Perhaps, he could settle for this. For now. 

 

~*~

 

Later that day, Bruce stopped by the lab and indulged Tony when he hugged him for several minutes straight, even laughing a bit. Not at his friend. Just a little amazed about how capable and willing someone was to love him. He knew Tony loved fiercely and hard, in an unconditional manner that few things could alter, but witnessing that love when it was directed to him was always a little different and a lot more amazing. Once, Pepper had joked that if Tony could marry a brain, he'd probably marry Bruce's. While the thought had made both chuckle, the scientist found that he didn't mind too much having a billionaire genius yet reckless idiot as a platonic soulmate of some sort. It felt good to have friends. At some point, Darcy joined in the hug, squeezing far tighter than either male would've expected from her. It turns out they had a better reason to celebrate than Bruce sticking around. Between Tony and Darcy, they'd found a viable solution to prepare for the geomagnetic storms that would theoretically be semi-sustainable.

 

~*~

 

Dinner approached, the Avengers trickled in the shared space. Apparently both Clint and Thor had returned. The first one because he had a meeting with S.H.I.E.L.D the following day, and the later because the three scientists had decided to ask the god's opinion on the solution they'd found to face the incoming storms. Thor was pleased to be there. He waved for Bruce to come forward as soon as Darcy, Tony and him entered the dinner hall. He'd brought a plate of noodles from Sakaar that Bruce easily recognized as his first meal after turning back into himself. "Brunnhilde said that if I told you she'd gotten them for you, she'd pull out my tongue and cut it straight to feed to Grandmaster's orgiac monsters."

The good doctor laughed and took the plate offered to him, if not a little awkwardly. "Thank you Thor, I'll keep them somewhere so that Hulk can have them. I'm sure he'll enjoy those a lot more than me."

The blond offered a pleased smile. "I also brought Asgardian mead!" A chorus of groan was heard in the room. Most of the people who'd tried it couldn't walk after a single pint, except for Steve who'd just felt happily dazed and emptied a second one, almost getting drunk before the effects dissipated.

"Guys!" Tony interjected. "This might just be a historic moment! We might just meet three-pints Steve! The pinnacle of on the Steve Rogers Drunkness scale, everyone!" At the unimpressed look, he got, Tony shook his head. "No, no, you don't get it. Three pints Steve might just actually be fun! Maybe he's the one I could actually be friends with, aka my Sasquatch!"

Steve frowned. "I'm fun." He glanced around for confirmation, but most people just gave him a bland, apologetic look. "Come on guys!" The blond tried.

"It's nothing personal Capsicle, but you're as fun as a gym teacher chaperoning prom. And we love you for it, really." That got Tony a few snorts.

"Well, I find you very entertaining friend Steve!" Thor spoke excitedly, with that infection energy of his. That brought a smile to the supersoldier's lips.

"I think you can be very fun too." Bruce added. "In some, very specific, situations." He smiled, just a little, pleased with the reddening of the other male's face.

"It's okay, Cap." Tony brought a hand to the man's shoulder. "I'm the fun one anyway."

Darcy nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely. Tony is the fun one. With Clint. Who is also the relatable one. Natasha is the hot and scary one. Wanda is the cute but powerful one. Bruce is the soft one. Thor is the puppy one. You're the sturdy one, Cap. And Vision is the wise one. With Pepper. Of course."

Rhodey frowned. "What about me?"

She grinned. "You Captain Rhodes, are a military chocolate bar, aka, a snack."

Tony chuckled at his best friend's reaction. "Whole damn, meal, you mean." He went for a fist bump with Darcy as Rhodey coughed through his embarrassment.

"That was honestly some light innuendo from the pair." Bruce commented. "I've been down there with them all day, I can promise you, they're behaving right now."

Clint chuckled. "You poor innocent man." He told Bruce who grinned.

"I have heard things I'll never forget."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Don't let that face fool you. Bruce is quite the conoisseur when it comes to racey topics. No matter how hard he blushes or denies it. You just gotta catch him at the right moment." The tip of the gamma expert's ears turned bright red. He picked up his glass of water and emptied it.

"Has anyone tried the chicken? I thought the chicken was rather lovely..." Rhodey commented, very suddenly making Tony shudder.

"You spend too much time with Peter."

That made his lover grin."You introduced me to him and as a matter of fact, my Vine culture is all Ned. Lovely kid. Quite the hacker."

Bruce nodded. "So I've heard. Tony couldn't stop talking about how easily he has overridden his protocols on the Spider-man suit." After that change of topic, the conversation took a life of its own, as plates were passed left and right.

 

Once dinner was over, the Avengers decided to have a game night, seen as they were all there. Once Uno had been vetoed, Monopoly seemed like the best option. Pepper jumped on the chance of being the bank. Bruce never played much, just liked being in the company of people who enjoyed his own and make snarky comments or help out others. Though he was pretty good at Werewolf and Poker when it came to it.They were all sitting on the floor, around the board, except for Bruce who was on the couch, absentmindedly running a hand through Thor's blond hair. The other male never shied away from contact and seemed to enjoy those massage. It was their thing. When Bruce didn't know how to help on the spaceship yet wanted to be useful, he'd just help Thor feel better. The good doctor had picked up on a few things about the god's body. It had taken them quite a while to reach the point where he could just play with the blond's hair, though. Thor was very serious when it came to those and really proud about the fact that they grew back even stronger. But it somehow calmed the both of them, so he indulged Bruce.

 

Steve lost first, refusing Bruce's help when proposed to him and adamant on paying others what they were due even if he owned very little and they proposed to let him go free to keep him going. The blond very calmly stood up and left for the balcony. After a few seconds of consideration, Bruce chose to follow him, hand in his pockets to seem more relaxed than he was. "You know what they say? He who is unlucky at gambling is lucky at love."

That made the supersoldier sigh. "Nah, I don't think so. Haven't had love in my life in a long while."

Bruce went to stand besides him on the balcony, taking in the sight of the city skyline. "I don't think it's true. You are surrounded by people who love you."

Steve's eyes fell on the scientist. "You know what I mean, Bruce. Nobody loves me like that."

The good doctor frowned. "How would you know?"

Steve shrugged. "You're right. But there's one thing I know though." He inhaled deeply. "Bruce, I don't want to be your sex buddy or whatever it is that we're about to jump in."

The scientist let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God. Me neither. I, I just can't."

 Steve nodded. "Yeah, with Thor and all that..."

The brunet's expression grew confused. "What?" 

Steve rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Well, you and Thor. You have this thing."

Bruce chuckled. "Friendship ? Yes. We do. Just like you and Thor. We've grown closer surely, significantly so. I appreciate and value that bond. But, I mean, he is a god, you know. He'd never look at me like that. Be serious. That kinda luck only happens once in a normal man's life and for a fleeting moment, I had Natasha." He chuckled, a little too self-deprecating for Steve's liking. "Out of the two of us Thor would be far more likely to end up with someone like you." Bruce went on. "Because people like the two of you, they'd just..." He sighed. "They'd never look at me like that." Not when there's so much better to see and no reason to settle.

Steve paused, considering his odds before speaking again. "Bruce, when you look at me, what do you see?" Steve asked the man who was standing right by his side.

The scientist chuckled as if it was a silly question he was indulging Steve with an obvious answer. "You." Came the short reply. "I see you. The blue eyes, the tousled hair, the crooked smile, the muscles, it's very pretty, don't get me wrong. But it's that gaze full of determination, that commanding yet supportive tone, that eagerness to fight for justice and the power to inspire hope that I like most. I also like the fact that you're simply unable to function before you've had your cup of coffee and the fact that you doodle on any surface from paper towels to mist on a window, and how your eyes widen and your lips slightly part when you try to take in a memory that you probably will draw later. I also think you look your best when you're doing what you love, you have a very focused expression, and a faint blush on your cheeks when you draw or show your work, it's adorable. It's you. I see you. I think. Why?"

Steve closed his eyes, smiling as he rested his forehead against the shorter man's. "I think I like that description of myself best." Bruce smiled, rubbing their nose against one another's before finally pressing a tentative but meaningful kiss to Steve's lips. The blond reciprocated it, for all to see but just the two of them to truly enjoy. And going by the wolf whistles, people seemed to approve of their relationship. Because yes, it very much was the beginning of a meaningful relationship. And Steve was ready to fight whomever would tell him otherwise, Bruce included.


End file.
